'Little difference' between tyre makes

McLaren ace David Coulthard reckons that the difference between Michelin and Bridgestone tyres is smaller than expected following his first run on the French rubber

The Scot set the third quickest time on the first day of testing at Barcelona, Spain today (Monday). He managed a total of 65 laps.

"I'm pretty happy with how today went," said Coulthard, whose McLaren team has decided to switch from Bridgestone to Michelin for 2002. "There's not as much of a night and day difference between the two tyre brands as many people would expect."

Coulthard added that he was glad to be back behind the wheel. "I wasn't ready for it in December - I was still mentally tired from everything that happened during the season," he said. "But since then my main focus has been to be ready for today and I've enjoyed it a lot."

Coulthard and McLaren will continue testing tomorrow. His new team mate Kimi Raikkonen is due to get his first run with the team too.